Arcane: Bond Beyond Death (R18)-Chapter 39: Episode 38: Talk (3*) (slight smut)

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Jinx stretched lazily, her nose twitching as the scent of food filled the lair. She blinked a few times, rubbing the sleep from her eyes before her gaze locked onto Bael.

"You left me," she mumbled, pouting as she sat up. Her voice was groggy, her hair an even bigger mess than usual.

Bael smirked slightly, flipping a strip of bacon. "Had to. Figured a real breakfast wouldn't kill us for once."

Jinx tilted her head, watching him with half-lidded eyes before dragging herself up. She padded over to where he was cooking, wrapping her arms around him from behind and resting her chin on his shoulder.

"You shoulda woken me up," she murmured, voice laced with drowsy possessiveness.

Bael chuckled, nudging her off playfully. "You looked too peaceful. Didn't wanna ruin it."

Jinx huffed but didn't argue, instead eyeing the food with growing interest. The smell was rich, warm—so different from the usual scraps or hastily eaten rations.

Behind them, Vi stirred, slowly waking as well, her body still sluggish from exhaustion. The moment was calm, too calm.

And it wouldn't last.

"You're still here?" Jinx muttered, her voice laced with disgust.

Vi's throat tightened. No warmth, no hint of the sister she once knew—just that same seething resentment that cut deeper than any blade.

She exhaled, steadying herself. "Yeah, Powder, I'm still here."

Jinx's eye twitched. "Don't call me that." Her grip on Bael tightened for a second before she shoved herself away from him, arms crossing over her chest. "And don't think for a second I give a damn. You're not special just 'cause Bael decided to feed you."

Vi swallowed hard. The guilt was instant—like a punch straight to the gut. It didn't matter how much she already hated herself, how much she regretted everything. Jinx's words always found a way to make it worse.

Bael, focused on plating the food, didn't intervene. Maybe he knew nothing he said would change it.

Vi forced her gaze onto the food, gripping her own wrist to keep steady. "Didn't know you could cook, Bael," she muttered, trying to shift the weight in the air.

Jinx scoffed. "He's not cooking for you." Her voice dripped with venom. "Don't get it twisted, sister."

Vi winced at the word, her heart sinking. She wanted to say something, anything—explain, beg, fix it. But what was left to fix?

Instead, she just nodded, silent, her appetite already fading.

Vi was hooked. One bite turned into another, then another—before she knew it, she was devouring everything in sight. It had been so long since she had a real meal, and now that she had one, she couldn't stop. Every bite was like heaven, and she damn near melted in her seat.

"Shit," she muttered between mouthfuls. "This is so good."

Jinx, on the other hand, was a straight-up menace. She ate like a starved animal, shoving food into her mouth with both hands, barely chewing before going for the next bite. Crumbs flew everywhere, grease smeared her lips, and she let out little satisfied noises as she stuffed herself like she'd never eat again.

Bael? Bael was the exact opposite. He ate slowly, carefully, like some refined gentleman at a noble's dinner party. Every bite was deliberate, every sip measured. He didn't let the chaos around him affect his pace—he just calmly enjoyed his meal while Jinx and Vi acted like they'd been stranded on an island for ten years.

At some point, Vi caught her reflection in a metal surface and realized she looked like she was fighting for her life over breakfast. She cleared her throat, slowing down slightly, but not too much—this food was too damn good to waste.

Jinx didn't give a shit. She was already halfway through another plate, looking way too pleased with herself. "Bael," she mumbled through a mouthful of food, "yer never leavin' again."

Bael just smirked, taking another dignified sip of whatever drink he had. "Noted."

They finished breakfast and it was delicious. And now, it was time for some chit-chats.

"So... what do you guys do in the day?" Vi asked, leaning back with her arms crossed, trying to sound casual.

Jinx let out a dismissive 'hmph' and turned her head away, clearly not interested in entertaining the conversation.

Bael, on the other hand, answered plainly. "Missions, mostly. Sometimes we craft weapons, fix up gear. Always something to do."

Vi's gaze wandered, landing on the cluttered workbenches across the lair. Her eyes caught the sight of Pow-Pow Eta and a half-finished prototype of Fishbones—both looking wrecked from overuse. Their surfaces were dented, scratched, and covered in scorch marks.

Then, for just a split second, Pow-Pow Eta moved.

Vi's breath hitched as the minigun's barrels spun to life, its massive form twitching like a living thing. She saw it snarl at her, its metal frame shifting like it was alive, hungry, waiting to rip her apart.

She blinked. The illusion was gone...

"Where's that chick Beca by the way?" Jinx asks.

Bael stiffens, "We let her go..." He said.

"You couldn't even kill one single junkie how the fuck will you help with anything?!" Jinx shouts.

Vi stiffens, "Killing... is bad..."

Jinx's laughter exploded through the lair, sharp and manic. She leaned back, nearly doubling over, like Vi had just told the funniest joke in the world.

Then, still grinning, she pointed to Pow-Pow Eta on the workbench.

"That babe right there?" she snickered. "She's killed more people than the Pilties ever did to Zaun in a decade." Her eyes gleamed with something feral, something twisted. "You really think I feel some shit?"

Vi felt her stomach twist, but she didn't look away. Jinx wasn't just mocking her—she was challenging her.

Vi's breath hitched. Her body felt heavy, her resolve cracking under Jinx's wild, glowing gaze.

She barely managed a whisper.

"Powder... Please don't..."

Jinx's grin froze.

For a moment, just a fraction of a second, something flickered in her eyes—something raw, something hurt. But it was gone before Vi could even process it.

Jinx scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Ugh. Again with that name." She grabbed a nearby wrench and hurled it at the wall, the loud clang echoing through the lair. "I ain't Powder, dumbass. Powder died in that alley, same day you left her for dead."

She leaned in close, voice dropping into something low, dangerous.

"I'm Jinx now. And Jinx? Doesn't beg."

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Vi clenched her fists, fighting the lump rising in her throat. This isn't working...

"A world where god doesn't exist, is a world of absolute freedom, Vi." Bael says.

"And in this world, your only God is the Arcane, a force i swore to master someday." Bael lifts his mechanical arm, and pulled the Hexcrystal from the chamber of Pow-Pow Eta, with its power, he made a gesture that brought the entire weapon before them, and in another gesture, it scrambled into a million pieces, bolts, joints and scraps.

"With the Arcane, everything is possible." Then, for a second, the runes chamber appears, which was going to contain the runes needed for Pow-Pow's next evolution, but for now, it remained empty.

Then, Bael's next motion reconstructs the entire weapon making it exactly like it used to be.

This scene impressed Jinx, but terrified Vi.

Vi clenched her fists, shaking her head. "Vander wouldn't have wanted this..." she murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

The second the words left her mouth, the air in the lair shifted.

Jinx's entire body went rigid. Then, in an explosive burst of rage, she screamed:

"VANDER IS DEAD!!"

Her voice echoed through the cavern walls, raw, furious, unhinged.

Vi flinched. She had seen Jinx angry before, had felt her rage—but this? This was different. This was pure, undiluted agony given form.

Jinx's chest rose and fell erratically, her fingers twitching as if itching to grab Pow-Pow and start shooting something, anything.

Vi swallowed hard and slowly looked away. She had nothing left to say.

The two sisters make eye contact for a second, silence then Jinx starts crying, she jumps on Bael's chest and cries, "sob Bael... Pl—Please tell her to leave and never come back..."

Bael makes her discret gesture telling her to go away, he'll talk to her in private. Vi immediately gets up and leaves, a clear sad frown on her face.

Bael's lips barely moved as he spoke, his voice smooth, deliberate, meant only for her.

"We'll figure it out. If there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that Vi feels regret and remorse. We can use that against her—twist it, break it, shape it into something more suitable." His fingers ran through Jinx's blue locks, slow and soothing. "How's that sound?"

Jinx sniffled, but she didn't answer right away.

Instead, she pressed closer, her fingers digging into his back. "...I'm scared." Her voice was so small, almost unlike her.

She swallowed hard. "What if... what if she steals you away?" Her nails tightened against his skin as her breath shook. "If I lose you, Bael... I don't—I don't know what I'd do..."

Her body tensed as the thought gripped her mind, paranoia creeping in. "You're mine... right?" Her voice broke slightly. "Only mine...?"

Bael chuckled, low and dark, his smirk widening as he looked down at Jinx-flushed, breathless, wanting. Her fingers twitched against his chest, gripping onto his shirt as if she was scared he'd disappear.

"More?" He teased, tilting her chin up again, his thumb tracing her swollen lips. "Greedy little thing, aren't you?"

Jinx shivered under his touch, her breath hitching as she nodded, her voice barely a whisper. "Always."

Bael didn't hesitate. His mechanical arm whirred as he lifted her with ease, setting her onto the workbench, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist.

His other hand slid to the back of her neck, fingers tangling in her hair as he claimed her lips again-this time deeper, rougher, demanding everything she had.

Jinx whimpered against his mouth, her nails digging into his back, her whole body melting into his. The world around them-Vi, the lair, the past-faded into nothing. Right now, there was only this.

Bael pulled back just enough to look her in the eyes, his breathing heavy, his expression utterly possessive. "You're mine, Jinx." His voice was low, absolute. "Say it."

Her lips parted, her voice shaking from sheer need. "I'm yours, Bael." Her grip on him tightened. "Forever."

Bael's grip was iron, his fingers digging so deep into Jinx's waist that it hurt, but she loved it. His intense eyes burned into hers, his breath hot against her trembling lips. His voice was a growl, a command, a claim.

"Whom do you belong to?"

"You of course, babe." She said, her eyes' color twisting.

Jinx froze for a second, her breath stuttering -then her entire body snapped. A violent, manic shriek tore from her throat as she threw herself at him, clawing, biting, tangling herself around him like a wild animal.

"Who do you belong to, Jinx?!" Bael repeated.

"YOU! FUCKING YOU, BAEL! I'M YOURS, ALL YOURS! NOBODY ELSE, NEVER! MINE! MINE!!"

She slammed her forehead against his, panting, shaking, her nails raking down his back hard enough to draw blood. Her entire body twisted with desperate, rabid hunger, her legs locked around him, her arms clawing at his hair, her lips grazing his cheek but not kissing-teasing, taunting, torturing herself with the need.

"DON'T LET ME GO, DON'T FUCKING LET ME GO! I'LL KILL HER, I'LL KILL ANYONE WHO EVEN LOOKS AT YOU! I SWEAR I'LL—"

Bael pinned her tightly, showing her just how much of a pain it was to survive for e whole days without her in prison.

Overall, the tporary separation showed just how strong their love was altho being separated. But that much time ignited a fire inside them as the animals they were couldn't survive a second without each other's touch.

They kept making out in the most hard-core ways and releasing that pent up frustration till they both calmed down...

...

Vi sat on the edge of a workbench, arms crossed, her face shadowed with guilt. She looked at Bael as he stood before her, his eyes cold but not unkind.

"Powder doesn't exist anymore." His voice was steady, final.

Vi flinched. The words hit harder than any punch she'd thrown in the past.

Bael continued, "You can't even begin to comprehend what she's been through. What we went through." His mechanical fingers curled slightly, as if recalling the past in his grip.

Vi looked away, ashamed. "I know I wasn't there—"

"You weren't there," Bael cut in, his tone sharpening. "Not when she made her first kill. Not when she screamed for hours because she couldn't wash the blood off. Not when she decided to paint her body, to cover up what was left of the little girl you used to know."

Vi swallowed, the weight in her chest suffocating.

Bael took a step closer. "You left, Vi. Whether it was your choice or not, she only remembers the empty space where you should've been."

Vi's hands clenched into fists. "I—"

"Don't." Bael sighed, rubbing his temple. "She's Jinx now. You have to understand that. If you want to stay, you better learn to live with it."

Vi shut her eyes. She already knew. She just didn't want to accept it.

"Listen Vi. I understand all you went through too, trust me, i have no grudges or anything against you, since you watched your friends die, and was emprisonned for a decade, so you're welcome here, i approve of you. But please don't open old wounds with Jinx..." Bael said.

Bael slightly giggled, "Besides, cheer up!You're still young we still have the future ahead of us, we'll that's if Silco gets off our asses, haha." He jokes.

Vi started sobbing and she hugged Bael, it was her first hug in a decade, Thank you..., she said, the warmth was addicting. Bael reciprocated the hug, although if Jinx saw them like this she'd throw a tantrum and probably shoot them both.

And now, we can officially say that Violet was back in the crew... For now.